Improvement in heating-benches of gas-fixing retorts



THOMAS F. ROWLAND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT In HEATING-BENCHES oF GAS -FIXING RETORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,94l, dated November 25, 1879; application filed October 11, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs F. ROWLAND, of the city, county, and" State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating-Benches of Gas-Fixing Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

It is a well-known fact that the successful and economical manufacture of illuminating water-gas is of very recent date, notwithstanding the theoretical knowledge possessed for many years by several parties interested in the development of this industry.

Of the many processes applied in the manufacture of illuminating water-gas, that which gives most satisfactory results is the process now in operation at the Municipal Gas-Works in New York city, which consists in decomposing watery vapors in contact with incandescent coal, collecting the gases thus 'produced in .a gas-holder commonly called hydrogen-holder, from which they are drawn, mixed with naphtha, and fixed by passing the mixture through redhot clay or iron retorts. Then, as usual, the gas is passed through condensers, scrubbers, purifying apparatus, and to the gas-holders.

It has been proposed, heretofore, to heat benches of retorts for generating gas by burnin g water-gas beneath them. The application of water-gas generally in the distillation of coal is expensive, and unless means are provided for securing uniform pressure-and regulatin g the supply, the process is inoperative and attended with danger.

My invention consists in the method of heating a bench of fixing-retorts, securing a uniform heat by taking gas directly from a holder,

whereby uniformity of pressure is secured, and

the supply may be regulated, and burning the same as water-gas underneath the bench, wherebyl am enabled to maintain an even temperature, thus producing an illuminating-gas free of condensable hydrocarbons, and also avoiding the danger of destructive distillation, which often takes place when the temperature of the gas-retorts cannot be kept constantly even.

I have discovered that the amount of heat required to carburet or roast the gaseous mixture is very small in quantity; but the heat must be of an intense quality, or from a brightred to orange heat, and this temperature can be best produced economically and kept up constantly by my method of heating gas-re torts, which operation I have tested practically on the largest possible scale in the following manner:

As above stated, water-gas works generally have one of the gas-holders set aside to receive the water-gas (a mixture of hydrogen and car- .bonic oxide) from the generators, which is then feet high, laid loose one above the other, leaving sufficient open space for the products of combustion to pass freely. The water-gas is turned on by opening the valve of one of the branch gas-pipes and quickly lighted at the perforated pipes. The water-gas, as it burns, strikes the tire-bricks,which presently become incandescent, (red-hot,) causing the water-gas to burn completely. The combustion of the water-gas is actually accelerated as well as localized by the high temperature which the fire-bricks finally obtain. The heat thus generated is radiated from the fire-bricks to thewhole furnace, which in a short time becomes a glowing mass of heated material.

The required temperature in the furnace can be obtained by simply regulatin gthe gas-valve.

naces and retorts will remain in good condition for a much longer time than with the use. ,of coke or coal; third, saving of labor in firing the furnaces; anchfourth, the cost of the watergas necessaryin firing a furnace with a bench of retorts-by my method is less than the cost ofthe coke or coal to carburet the same amount of gas.

Havingdescribedmyinventi0n,whatIclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedSfates, is-

The method of heating a bench of fixing-retorts, securing a uniform heat, which consists in taking water-gas directly from a governingholder, whereby uniformity of pressure is secured and the supply may be regulated, and burningt-he same as water-gas under the bench, as set forth.

THOS. F. ROWLAND.

Witnesses:

ORAZIO LUGO, Tnos. F. ROWLAND, Jr. 

